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2 free days and more...suggestions?

Posted by on

My husband and I have 2.5 days without kids to do with what we please (July 4 mid day - July 6 evening). We arrive in Rome via red eye from the U.S. on July 4 and are thinking of grabbing a train to Orvieto until July 6 when we return to Rome to meet up with our in-laws and 12 and 15 year old until July 9. After that we'll rent a car and head to an agriturismo near Poggibonsi and take day trips to Siena, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, and maybe Volterra until we return to Rome for our afternoon flight on July 13. Here are my ?s:
* If we go to Orvieto July 4 - 6, which train should we take and where is a good place to stay easy to access by foot with our luggage from the train station. Is there a place we can rent bikes in Orvieto to take a ride on one or both days?
* Is there somewhere else you'd suggest we visit for a couple of days since we will be spending July 9 - 13 in Tuscany? I would love to see Venice, but I'm afraid the long train ride on top of our red eye flight will be too much. I've debated heading south to Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast, but again I think the distance may be too much as well as the prices. I've also debated Chiusi instead of Orvieto. We like the outdoors - my husband preferring mountains while I prefer the beach, but we're happy with either. We aren't big wine drinkers but "when in Rome..." and we'll be getting plenty of "culture" in Rome and Florence, so we're game for alternatives.
* I am planning to rent a car from Rome Termini Station on July 9 and return it there on July 13 before our flight out of FCO that afternoon. Having never rented a car in Italy, if there is an easier and/or cheaper location to rent a car from before heading to Tuscany on July 9 and returning to the airport July 13, I'd appreciate the suggestions.

Thanks so much for any help...as you can see I'm leaving this until last minute unfortunately!
H. Arnold

Posted by
28 posts

What a great problem to have!

I haven't been to Orvieto but have heard good things, I'm sure someone will chime in. But my thought immediately jumped to "since you're going to be in Tuscany for part of the trip, why not head south" for your free time.

It would be a couple more hours to get down to Sorrento or Positano, but would be completely different than what you'll see in Tuscany. You've got mountains and hiking for your husband (Google "path of the gods") and beach (well, at least shoreline) for you.

Posted by
11613 posts

I would rent the car at the Tiburtina station location if you can, rather than at Termini. The Termini station is under major construction right now and it's a mess, Tiburtina is only three minutes away.

When you get to the train station in Orvieto (there are direct trains from Roma Termini, takes about an hour), cross the street with your luggage and take the funivia up to the city. There's a small city bus right outside (free with funivia ticket) that will take you to the historic center (two lines, one goes direct to the Duomo, the other stops in a circuit around the city - take the one that is less crowded or that goes nearest to your hotel).

I like Hotel Virgilio in front of the cathedral or Hotel Duomo around the corner. Don't know about bike rental.

Two days in Venice can be a great way to relax, if you can pull away from the July crowds (just walk away from the streets leading to Rialto and San Marco).

Posted by
8170 posts

I strongly suggest visiting Orvieto. It's a 70 minute ride from Rome Termini, and it's a really popular hill town. It'd be a great place to get over a little jet lag.
There are a number of Orvieto B&B's, but the name Antica Olivaia pops up time and time again. There are also a number of modern accommodations available on Booking.com.
I wouldn't suggest trying to rent bicycles in a hill town. The Hertz auto rental is across the street from the train station, and a day rental would be great so you could take in surrounding cities, like Civita di Bagnoregio--an incredible sight.

Posted by
16894 posts

I love Orvieto and the funicular from the train station makes it easy to get to hotels in the hilltop town center. You could get some exercise on the Civita di Bagnoregio daytrip if you take the bus, then walk about a mile each way between the main bus stop and the uphill bridge to the village.

Train from Roma Fiumincino to Venezia S. Lucia takes about 4.5 hours, assuming a 15-minute connection at Roma Tiburtina. You could get a nap on the longer, main train ride, but this travel time each way is also cutting into your sightseeing time.

Posted by
15259 posts

Orvieto is good. If you arrive on July 4 and must be in Rome on July 6, it means you have only 2 nights. I would go straight from FCO to Orvieto and spend your first 2 nights there.
Venice is an option, but it's a longer trip (4 hrs from Roma Termini) for just 2 nights.
Likewise, the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast area is nice, but you only have 2 nights, so basically it's a lot of mileage for just one day.

For car rental return, since you are coming back to Rome and taking a flight on that same afternoon of July 13, why don' t you return the car to the FCO airport? There are no extra fees for returning it at the airport, rather than where you picked it up at the station, and that way you save the €50 of taxi fare (or €14 per person train fare) to the airport as well. When you drive down from Tuscany, just follow the directions to the airport and don't even bother to enter Rome, just loop around on the GRA beltway and go straight to FCO. Much easier than driving back to Termini.

Posted by
32220 posts

Given the circumstances, I'd also suggest going to Orvieto rather than Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast (especially after a long international flight!). Orvieto is only about an hour out of Rome and that will facilitate your ongoing travel and returning to Rome to meet your relatives.

There are numerous trains every day from Roma Termini to Orvieto. Check the Trenitalia website for details. You'll first need to get from FCO to Roma Termini, and the Leonardo Express is the quickest and easiest way to do that (€14 PP, 35M). DON'T forget to validate your tickets prior to boarding the train or you'll face hefty fines, which will be collected on the spot! You can also buy your tickets for the next train to Orvieto at the airport station, either using a Kiosk or at the staffed ticket office.

When you arrive in Orvieto, take the Funicular up to town from the station. From Piazza Cahen you can easily walk to the main part of town. I'd suggest getting a hotel booked SOON though!

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